Global marine RNA virus survey elucidates the origin and abundance of the Earth's RNA virome｜Science Weekly Feature

Click the blue text above to follow an extensive assessment of our marine RNA sequences in global waters, which has identified thousands of previously unknown RNA viruses, doubling the taxonomic phylum of known RNA viruses, including Some represent the "missing link" in the evolution of RNA viruses
.

Apart from their role in disease, little is known about the ecological relevance and evolutionary origin of RNA viruses, but they can be better elucidated by the results of this study
.

Viruses are ubiquitous in all areas of life, and they play a key role in driving evolution, biodiversity and global geochemical cycles
.

Most efforts to understand the diverse functions of Earth's virome have focused on DNA viruses, which are known to be large, diverse and key players in ecosystems
.

Apart from their role as animal and plant pathogens, RNA viruses in the environment are far from well studied
.

By analyzing nearly 28 terabases of global marine RNA sequences collected during the Tara Oceans expeditions, Ahmed Zayed and colleagues bridged this knowledge gap, greatly expanding known marine RNAs Virus catalog
.

In their analysis, Zayed et al.
doubled the number of orthornaviran phyla from 5 to 10 (orthornavirans are RNA viruses) and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree showing new insights into RNA virus evolution
.

Among these new virus taxonomic phyla, the authors identified the globally distributed Taraviricota, which represents a missing link related to retrofactors in the evolutionary origin of RNA viruses, suggesting that the two share a common ancestor
.

The authors say these new findings represent crucial fundamental knowledge that can further integrate RNA viruses into ecological, evolutionary and epidemiological models
.

In a related Perspective, Jessica Labonté and Kathryn Campbell write: "Zayed et al.
's work establishes a link between the viral and cellular worlds, making it possible to create a fully integrated tree of life and Have a more comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolution of life
.

" Welcome to the official public account of Science and click "Read the original text" below to access the English original text for this issue of Science to light up your reading!